Obituary: Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui
Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui S/O Mohammad Urwatullah Siddiqui was born on February 24, 1973, to a noble and humble family in Allahabad, UP, India. He died of cardiac arrest on December 9, 2021, in Abha, KSA, at the age of 48 years. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and a son. His eldest child is a 17-year-old daughter, and all his kids are schoolgoers. Dr. Siddiqui obtained his primary, secondary, and university education from reputed institutions. Since his school days, he was found to be a possessor of certain distinctive traits uncommon among his classmates. He was not only sound academically, but he exhibited all his potentials in extracurricular activities also.
Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui did his masters in linguistics and literature, M.Phil in English Literature, and a Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics. He also had the opportunity to join as a Fulbright scholar in the Professional Development Programme for English lecturers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.
Dr. Siddiqui has worked in several capacities from time to time. He started his teaching career by teaching English language and literature to adult learners, under the National Open Schooling Program, Delhi, from 1999 to 2004. He also taught English language and literature to pre-university students, at a historical college, under the government of Delhi from 2004 to 2008.
He joined King Khalid University Abha, KSA, in October 2008. Since then, he taught English as a foreign language at the undergraduate level till his death with zeal and zest in the Department of English, Faculty of Languages and Translation. He also served as a coordinator for the English Language Center, King Khalid University Abha, KSA.
Dr. Siddiqui has to his credit, several research articles published in renowned journals covering various themes related to linguistics and literature. He has actively attended several conferences and seminars and has presented quite a good number of research papers related to his specialization.
It was his positive disposition, his reflective ways of operating, and all of the character traits that made him so special. Dr. Siddiqui’s questions never went unanswered. It was his humble and amicable nature that made him look different from his contemporaries.
It is indeed the hardest thing to forget someone who means the world to you. Forgetting a friend like him is like forgetting our own soul – it is just not possible! His sudden disappearance has created a vacuum among us. He will be remembered with warm thoughts and memories.
Having him with us was having great support, a great colleague, a caring brother, and a loving father.
